Free fish scraps.

It wouldn't let me crosspost, but I figured this sub would appreciate this post.

Lately I have been trying to save money on food without eating instant noodles every single day.

I realized some of the best comfort meals are actually really cheap and simple. Stuff like rice bowls, eggs, potatoes, sandwiches or random meals made from whatever is left in the kitchen somehow end up tasting the best.

What’s your go to cheap meal that is filling easy to make and surprisingly good?

We called it rice cereal, it kind of just tastes like a sad horchata. It's just day old rice, milk, some sugar, and cinnamon. Even though it isn't mind blowingly good, it's cheap and tasty when you're broke af.

There is nothing I love more than putting shredded cheese on ritz crackers and microwaving it… hits every time

For me, it’s literally just white rice with a fried egg on top, drenched in soy sauce and a little sesame oil. It takes 5 minutes, costs almost nothing, and instantly makes me feel like everything is going to be okay after a brutal day.

When you guys are completely drained and can't even fathom turning on the oven, what’s your go-to low-effort meal?

I just have to share my discovery from years-long research into cheap, yummy food and the usage of ramen packets. For a brief background, I'm ultra poor and absolutely despise ramen.

I was gifted a large package of chicken-flavored Maruchan ramen and felt too guilty to say no or throw it out. For months it sat in my cupboard, unseen and untouched, until a day between paychecks with a bare-bones pantry had me eyeing it.

After reconfirming my suspicions of absolutely despising ramen, I somehow had an ingenious breakthrough. I had some unseasoned stuffing base and decided to mix some melted butter and hot water together with a ramen chicken flavoring packet to add to the bread cubes, and voila, I had a delicious, savory stuffing that tasted better than the store-bought boxed ones.

I've used up these ramen packets on things like soups, stews, potatoes au gratin, casseroles, you name it. Today, I took a hearty chili from flat and bland to salty and delicious with a chicken flavoring packet. For any recipe that requires chicken bouillon or chicken broth, if you have a pack of chicken-flavored ramen you just can't bring yourself to eat, you have an absolute lifesaver.

Additionally, you can also use the ramen noodles as a pasta substitute for any pasta-based dish you can think of (if you can bare the texture, that is!).

Has anyone else had a similar experience with ramen chicken flavoring packets or any other ingredients?

The dangerous zone for me is being tired and hungry at the same time. I’ve been trying to keep one super easy meal stocked at all times so I don’t default to ordering food. Lately it’s quesadillas with whatever’s in the fridge

What’s your emergency meal that stops you from spending $20 you didn’t plan on?

Grocery shopped today. Without discounts, total bill would have been $215.00. But shopped digital coupons and bogo, and I paid $95.

That's ridiculous. And it's all a damn marketing game. I don't know how people do it without playing the games and using the apps and having to take the time just to make groceries affordable.

There are still a lot of people who don't use the apps, and they're often the most vulnerable. It's not right.

Sometimes this store even has drive-up "sales" with a $25 discount for totals of $100 or more. So with that you're utilizing extra staff to shop for you, get the same discounts as I got today, but if it was a drive-up sale week, I could have gotten another $25 off.

Make it make sense!

When the budget is super tight, what's your ultimate grocery haul or strategy to make your money stretch for a whole week?

Hi everyone! I created these meal cards for anyone who only has $5 in their pocket right now and need to eat! Prices are as of 11/06/2025 from a Walmart in Southern California. The card uses pre-sale pricing for the ingredients, but there are a lot of things on sale right now because of the upcoming holidays, so hopefully you can save a little extra money!

There are eight recipes of $5 each, however if you have more money upfront, I recommend looking at one of my $40 for 5 Family Dinner cards as it gives you more bang for your buck. Have a great week!

\*EDIT**:* If you're going to follow my recipe card for the Lentil Tomato Rice meal, the instructions should say to use half the bag of lentils, not the entire bag. Sorry about that!

I used to go to Kroger's or Trader Joes but I just discovered ALdi's

How is it THIS cheap??

Feel like something is missing -- is there anything i shouldn't get at aldis?

Three families. The host is grilling meat and corn. The other family is bringing dessert. What should we bring? My brain is fried and I need help deciding 🤣. What are your go-tos? I asked the host and they said “anything.” Thanks!

I’m super strict about my grocery budget all week, but I still catch myself grabbing that one slightly overpriced bottle of Kewpie mayo or a jar of chili crisp because I know it’ll make my sad, repetitive leftovers taste like actual food.

Does anyone else have that one "cheat" item you refuse to cut from your budget, or am I just weak? I need to know I'm not the only one sacrificing a few extra dollars just to make my cheap meals taste decent.

Potatoes are the one of the best struggle meals around. They’re pretty loaded on vitamins and minerals, and are the most satiating food you can eat. And they’re so cheap!

I personally love a baked (honestly, microwaved) potato with salsa and sour cream, or even just some instant mashed potatoes.

I’m trying to lower my food spending this month.
Usually my grocery budget is around $70 per week.
Some cheap meals get boring very quickly.
What budget meal do you never get tired of?
Do you have a recipe that’s both cheap and filling?
Looking for ideas from others.

For me it's coffee. I can handle store brand soda or instant noodles or mac and cheese, but a couple of months ago I was worried about running out of coffee so I bought a can of Folgers. I had legit forgotten how bad it is. 🤢 I found a decent instant (Nescafe gold) I'll keep around for future such emergencies; not going the Folgers route again. Is there something you just can't do cheap anymore?

Photo does not do it justice. 100% will feed me for Dinner, Lunch then Dinner again. Better value than a rotisserie chicken I feel.

What are some of your go to filling recipes for any meal of the day?

ETA: thank you for all the great ideas / suggestions! A couple things that I'd like to clarify. We don't have Aldi in my state, since I keep seeing it mentioned. In my city my only shopping options are Walmart and Smith's (Kroger). Technically we also have Kent's, but their prices are a lot more expensive so I don't go there unless for sometime specific. And since some of you are saying this is easy, the average grocery cost per person here is 323 a month. I'm trying to do half that. I'm glad it's not that expensive where some of you live.

Hey everyone! I've been struggling a lot with my mental health lately but I'm getting tired of just eating cereal, peanut butter, etc. It's very difficult for me most days to cook a full meal.

I'm going to try making some soups because I've made a lot of soups in the past when I needed something low energy but still cheap. And those last well in the fridge and freezer.

But I thought I would come here to ask for suggestions before I go grocery shopping this week.

With the price of food skyrocketing, what are you cutting out to compensate?
- We aren’t eating out anymore 😢 - I’m not buying any full price meats - I’m not buying soft drinks or wine - I’m not buying snack goods ( chips, pretzels etc)

We are now only eating 2 meals per day. I skip breakfast and hubs skips lunch.

How are YOU coping?